Background
In recent decades the future of global forests has been a matter of increasing concern, particularly in relation to the threat of forest ecosystem responses under potential climate change. ...To the future predictions of these responses, the current forest biomass carbon storage (FCS) should first be clarified as much as possible, especially at national scales. However, few studies have introduced how to verify an FCS estimate by delimiting the reasonable ranges. This paper addresses an estimation of national FCS and its verification using two-step process to narrow the uncertainty. Our study focuses on a methodology for reducing the uncertainty resulted by converting from growing stock volume to above- and below-ground biomass (AB biomass), so as to eliminate the significant bias in national scale estimations.
Methods
We recommend splitting the estimation into two parts, one part for stem and the other part for AB biomass to preclude possible significant bias. Our method estimates the stem biomass from volume and wood density (WD), and converts the AB biomass from stem biomass by using allometric relationships.
Results
Based on the presented two-step process, the estimation of China’s FCS is performed as an example to explicate how to infer the ranges of national FCS. The experimental results demonstrate a national FCS estimation within the reasonable ranges (relative errors: + 4.46% and − 4.44%), e.g., 5.6–6.1 PgC for China’s forest ecosystem at the beginning of the 2010s. These ranges are less than 0.52 PgC for confirming each FCS estimate of different periods during the last 40 years. In addition, our results suggest the upper-limits by specifying a highly impractical value of WD (0.7 t∙m
− 3
) on the national scale. As a control reference, this value decides what estimate is impossible to achieve for the FCS estimates.
Conclusions
Presented methodological analysis highlights the possibility to determine a range that the true value could be located in. The two-step process will help to verify national FCS and also to reduce uncertainty in related studies. While the true value of national FCS is immeasurable, our work should motivate future studies that explore new estimations to approach the true value by narrowing the uncertainty in FCS estimations on national and global scales.
Purpose
Our study aims to delineate the epidemiological distribution of pulmonary carcinoids, including atypical carcinoid (AC) and typical carcinoid (TC), identify independent prognostic factors, ...develop an integrative nomogram and examine the effects of various surgical modalities on atypical carcinoid‐specific survival (ACSS).
Methods
Joinpoint regression model and age‐group distribution diagram were applied to determine the epidemiological trend of the pulmonary carcinoids. Univariate and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO)‐based Cox regression models were used to identify independent factors, and a nomogram and web‐based predictor were developed to evaluate prognosis of AC patients individually. We performed Kaplan–Meier survival analyses to compare the scope of various surgical interventions, with and without G‐computation adjustment, utilising restricted mean survival time (RMST) to assess survival disparities.
Results
A total of 1132 patients were recruited from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (SEER) and a separate medical centre in China. The mean age of AC patients was 63.4 years and a smoking history was identified in 79.8% of AC patients. Joinpoint analysis shows rising annual rates of new AC and carcinoid cases among lung cancers. Both the proportion of pulmonary TC and AC within the total lung cancer population exhibits an L‐shaped trend across successive age groups. The nomogram predicted 1, 3 and 5 years of AC with excellent accuracy and discrimination. Kaplan–Meier survival analyses, conducted both pre‐ and post‐adjustment, demonstrated that sublobar resection's survival outcomes were not inferior to those of lobectomy in patients with stage I‐II and stage III disease.
Conclusion
This study is the first to reveal epidemiological trends in pulmonary carcinoids over the past decade and across various age cohorts. For patients with early‐stage AC, sublobar resection may be a viable surgical recommendation. The established nomogram and web‐based calculator demonstrated decent accuracy and practicality.
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FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
In the present study, the alcohol extraction conditions of Antarctic krill oil were optimized using a single factor experiment and response surface methodology. And the effects of extracting solvent, ...the ratio of liquid to sample and extraction time on yield of Antarctic krill oil, contents of phospholipid and total astaxanthins were investigated. Then, the main bioactive components of Antarctic krill oil, were prepared under the optimal conditions and were determined by HPLC and GC/MS. Furthermore, the effects of various antioxidants on the stability of astaxanthins in Antarctic krill oil were explored during the heat treatment test. The results suggested that the optimum extraction condition of Antarctic krill oil was achieved at a ratio of liquid to sample 10 mL/g with an extraction time of 137.3 min, using 95% ethanol-water solution as extraction solvent. Under the optimized condition, the yield of Antarctic krill oil, contents of phospholipid and total astaxanthins were 13.6%±1.2%, 33.62%±2.48% and 210.4
Ordering points to identify the clustering structure (OPTICS) is a density-based clustering algorithm that allows the exploration of the cluster structure in the dataset by outputting an ordered ...queue called cluster ordering. However, this nonexplicit output makes it greatly more difficult for practitioners to identify cluster patterns and obtain high-quality clusters. In this paper, we firstly investigate OPTICS in depth and identify the challenges facing users of OPTICS for cluster analysis through a pilot user study. Then, integrating human intelligence deeply with the machine intelligence of OPTICS, a visual analytics approach, VizOPTICS, is proposed to support practitioners in understanding and applying OPTICS to extract meaningful clustering results. It includes an ordered lattice plot for observing the generation process of cluster ordering, a density scatter plot for analyzing the cluster structure in datasets, and a dynamic reachability plot for optimizing clustering results, and also provides several interaction modes, such as selecting and highlighting, to help users analyze the cluster formation and algorithm operation processes interactively. Finally, we assess our approach through four case studies and a user evaluation study. The results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the system.
•The challenges for visual cluster analysis are formulated by a pilot user study.•A visual design with multiple views is proposed to obtain high-quality clusters.•A system VizOPTICS are implemented to support obtaining insights into OPTICS.•Pre-study and pro-study demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of VizOPTICS.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
In this work, we have employed one-step solvothermal method to prepare CuS nanosheets based 3D micro-flowers grown on pomelo peel-derived porous activated carbon (PPAC) as electrode materials for ...high-performance supercapacitors. The results show that the addition of porous PPAC materials activated by KOH solution can greatly affect the morphology and electrochemical performance of CuS/PPAC composites. As expected, as-prepared CSPC-2 based electrode possesses higher specific capacitance (954.0 F g−1) compared with pure CuS (579.2 F g−1) and porous PPAC-3 (329.6 F g−1) based electrodes at a current density of 1.0 A g−1. In addition, as-prepared CSPC-2 based electrode exhibits outstanding rate capacity (954.0 F g−1 at 1.0 A g−1 and 519.6 F g−1 at 9.0 A g−1) and excellent cyclic stability (81.99% capacitance retention at 7.0 A g−1 after 5000 continuous charge/discharge cycles). The results above illustrate that as-prepared CuS/PPAC composite is a suitable candidate for electrode materials for high-performance supercapacitors.
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•3D micro-flowers composed of CuS nanosheets are successfully grown on porous PPAC.•CuS/PPAC composites exhibit higher specific capacitance compared with pure CuS.•CSPC-2 based electrode possesses outstanding rate capacity and cyclic stability.
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GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UILJ, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK, ZAGLJ, ZRSKP
Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is an aggressive B-cell malignancy without effective treatment, and caused by the infection of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV), predominantly in its ...latent form. Previously we showed that the SUMO2-interacting motif within the viral latency-associated nuclear antigen (LANASIM) is essential for establishment and maintenance of KSHV latency. Here, we developed a luciferase based live-cell reporter system to screen inhibitors selectively targeting the interaction between LANASIM and SUMO2. Cambogin, a bioactive natural product isolated from the Garcinia genus (a traditional herbal medicine used for cancer treatment), was obtained from the reporter system screening to efficiently inhibit the association of SUMO2 with LANASIM, in turn reducing the viral episome DNA copy number for establishment and maintenance of KSHV latent infection at a low concentration (nM). Importantly, Cambogin treatments not only specifically inhibited proliferation of KSHV-latently infected cells in vitro, but also induced regression of PEL tumors in a xenograft mouse model. This study has identified Cambogin as a novel therapeutic agent for treating PEL as well as eliminating persistent infection of oncogenic herpesvirus.
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DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) are one of the most common inorganic nanomaterials. Autophagy is the predominant biological response to nanoparticles and transcription factor EB (TFEB) is a master ...regulator of the autophagy–lysosome pathway. Previous studies show that SiNPs induce autophagosome accumulation, yet the precise underlying mechanisms remain uncertain. The present study investigates the role of TFEB during SiNP‐induced autophagy. SiNP‐induced TFEB nuclear translocation is verified using immunofluorescence and western blot assay. The regulation of TFEB is proved to be via EIF2AK3 pathway. A TFEB knockout (KO) cell line is constructed to validate the TFEB involvement in SiNP‐induced autophagy. The transcriptomes of wild‐type and TFEB KO cells are compared using RNA‐sequencing to identify genes of the TFEB‐mediated autophagy and lysosome pathways affected by SiNPs. Based on these data and the Human Autophagy Database, four candidate autophagic genes are identified, including HSPB8, ATG4D, CTSB and CTSD. Specifically, that the chaperone HSPB8 is upregulated through SiNP‐mediated TFEB activation and forms a chaperone‐assisted selective autophagy (CASA) complex with BAG3 and HSC70, triggering HSPB8‐assisted selective autophagy, is found. Thus, this study characterizes a novel mechanism underlying SiNP‐induced autophagy that helps pave the way for further research on the toxicity and risk assessment of SiNPs.
Silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) induce transcription factor EB (TFEB) nuclear translocation via EIF2AK3 pathway. TFEB activation transcriptionally upregulates several autophagy‐lysosome genes. HSPB8 is the most obviously upregulated gene and interacts with BAG3 and HSC70 to form chaperone‐assisted selective autophagy (CASA) complexes, which targeted ubiquitinated aggregate proteins to autophagosomes, enhancing autophagy formation, eventually contributing to autophagy dysfunction.
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BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
An increasing body of evidence has revealed that the aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs/miRs) is involved in the development and progression of ovarian cancer (OC). miR-183 has been ...demonstrated to act as a tumor suppressor and oncogene in various types of human cancers. However, the biological role of miR-183 in OC still remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of miR-183 and evaluate its underlying mechanism in OC. In the present study, miR-183 was observed to be upregulated in OC tissues and cell lines as determined by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The effects of miR-183 on OC were further investigated via western blotting, MTT, wound healing, Transwell and immunofluorescence analyses. Downregulation of miR-183 markedly inhibited cell proliferation, migration and invasion, and promoted apoptosis in OC cells. Furthermore, it was initially confirmed that mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 4 (Smad4) was identified as an efficient target of miR-183 by luciferase activity assay. Finally, the results revealed that miR-183 directly regulated biological function via the transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta/Smad4 signaling pathway in OC cells. In conclusion, the results of the present study suggested that miR-183 exerted tumor-promoting roles in OC, at least partially by regulating Smad4 via the TGF-beta/Smad4 signaling pathway. Therefore, miR-183 may serve as a potential target for the diagnosis and prognosis of OC.
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